Dear Editor,

The recent protest in St Catherine West Central against the candidacy of Dr Christopher Tufton is nothing short of disgraceful. In fact, the actions of those protesters who claimed to be supporters of Councillor Devon Wint proved that they are very thoughtless, and Wint must stop at nothing to distance himself from such a crime against democracy.

It must be noted that the actions of those JLP supporters do not represent the voice of the entire constituency but rather a handful of people. To be honest, the constituency is rather prime for another candidate such as Dr Tufton, because we are used to having an MP who is, or eventually becomes, a minister of government, for example Edith Bennett and Dr Ken Baugh.

While I understand that the candidate election (or rather, selection) comes from the voice of the JLP delegates, I urge those delegates to remember that it’s not the party loyalists alone who elect the MP. Therefore, they must seek to select the best candidate for the constituency and not just a ‘combolung’. As citizens of St Catherine West Central, we must remember that we are a farming constituency, so we must think of the abilities and not just the personalities.

Dr Tufton did an excellent job in the Ministry of Agriculture in the last JLP Government. He allowed Jamaica to realise its potential in a modern market and our farmers would be happy to have him. Think of the possibilities: produce could be grown and packaged right here in the constituency for local and international distribution. Factories such as that which was built at Hounslow by GraceKennedy would further enhance the development started by Dr Baugh.

It is unfortunate that in Jamaica we tend to shoot ourselves in the foot before thinking of the long-term effects. Devon is a good pick, but reality suggests that Chris Tufton would be better.

Damion Wright

Brown’s Hall

dwright@live.com